Unbeaten Huskers Hope to Keep Rolling Against River Hawks The Nebraska women’s basketball team continues its four-game home stand by playing host to UMass-Lowell on Wednesday evening at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Tip-off between the No. 10 Huskers (5-0) and the River Hawks (0-4) is set for 7 p.m. (CT), with tickets available now at Huskers.com. Fans can also order game tickets in advance by calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office during regular business hours, Monday-Friday, at 1-800-8-BIG-RED.

Free live interent audio will be provided by the Husker Sports Network on Huskers.com. Wednesday’s game will be an internet-only broadcast because of scheduling conflicts with the Nebraska volleyball match at Iowa and Sports Nightly. Husker women’s basketball flagships B107.3 FM in Lincoln and The Wolf 93.3 FM in Omaha will not carry the game. A live video stream will be provided to premium subscribers of BTN.com All-Access.

Nebraska improved to 5-0 on the young season with an 87-64 win over preseason Southwestern Athletic Conference favorite Southern on Sunday afternoon. All-American Jordan Hooper, who was named to the Naismith Trophy watch list for the third straight season on Monday, produced her third 20-point scoring performance of the young season with 23 points and eight rebounds. Hooper moved ahead of Kathy Hagerstrom (1980-83) into ninth on Nebraska’s all-time scoring list with 1,779 points. Hooper, who enters the week averaging a double-double with 18.8 points and 10.0 boards per game, needs 13 rebounds to match Hagerstrom at No. 4 on Nebraska’s career rebound list (874).

UMass-Lowell is in its first season as a transitional NCAA Division I program, making the leap from Division II. The River Hawks are a traditionally strong program that posted an 18-9 mark in Coach Sarah Behn’s second season in 2012-13. A former Northeast-10 Conference member, UML is in its first season in the America East Conference in 2013-14. The River Hawks play at Oklahoma State on Tuesday night.

• Through games Nov. 24, Hooper ranked fourth in the Big Ten in scoring (18.8 ppg), tied for second in rebounding (10.0 rpg) and tied for third with 2.4 three-pointers per game. Hooper leads the Big Ten with 7.8 defensive rebounds per game.

• Hooper, who owns 28 career double-doubles including two this season, is averaging a double-double with 18.8 points and 10.0 rebounds through five games.

• Hooper has scored in double figures in 90 of her 103 career games, including 36 20-point performances. She owns six career 30-point efforts.

• Hooper has grabbed double-digit rebounds on 33 occasions, including three times this year.

#23, Emily Cady, 6-2, Jr., F, Seward, Neb. (14.6 ppg, 9.4 rpg) • Emily Cady is nearly averaging a double-double of her own with 14.6 points and 9.4 rebounds, after notching her second double-double of the season and 10th of her career with 18 points and 14 rebounds in the win over Southern.

• With 10 career double-doubles, Cady needs just three more to crack Nebraska’s top-10 list in that category. Kathy Hagerstrom (1980-83) and Carol Garey (1979-80) are tied for ninth with 13.

• Cady is the only Husker to score in double figures in all five games. She has scored 73 points in five games. Last season, she didn’t score her 73rd point of the year until the ninth game of the season.

• Theriot has scored in double figures on three occasions this season, including a career-high 28 points at Utah (Nov. 15), when she added a career-best seven rebounds. Theriot owns 10 career double-figure scoring efforts and one career 20-point game.

• Theriot has produced 71 points through five games. Last season, she did not score her 71st point until game 16, when she produced a then-career-high 14 points in a win at Indiana on Jan. 10. That was the 10th start of her career.

• Theriot is 14-of-14 at the free throw line this season. Last year, she went 10-for-17 in 34 games with 28 starts on the season.

• Sample is averaging 5.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and has had at least four points, three rebounds and one assist in each of Nebraska’s first five games. Through games Nov. 24, Sample ranked 21st in the Big Ten in rebounding (6.2 rpg).

• Sample ranks second among the Huskers with 11 total assists (2.2 apg).

#1, Tear’a Laudermill, 5-9, Jr., G, Riverside, Calif. (6.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg) • Tear’a Laudermill averaged 7.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in making the first two starts of her career last week in wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Southern.

• Laudermill scored a season-high 12 points and matched her season best with four rebounds in the win over Southern (Nov. 24). She is averaging 6.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game on the year.

Husker Headliners • Sophomore guard Sadie Murren leads the Big Ten with her .750 three-point field goal percentage through five games. Murren has hit 6-of-8 threes on the season and is 7-of-10 overall from the field. The 5-7 guard from Colon, Neb., is averaging 5.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. She has scored 22 points on the season after producing 27 points in 18 games a year ago. Her next three will match her season total from 2012-13.

• Nebraska’s front line players Jordan Hooper, Emily Cady and Hailie Sample are expected to make their 73rd consecutive starts together against UMass-Lowell. The group is averaging 38.8 points and 25.6 rebounds per game so far this season.

• Emily Cady, Hailie Sample and Rachel Theriot have combined to step up their production from a year ago. The trio combined for just 90 points in NU’s first five games last season. This year, the group has produced 171 points in five contests - nearly doubling their combined total from 2012-13.

• Freshman center Allie Havers is averaging 5.2 points and 4.0 rebounds off the bench for the Big Red. The 6-5 Havers has grabbed at least two rebounds in every game and has an assist in each of Nebraska’s last three contests.

• Junior guard Brandi Jeffery started Nebraska’s first three games, before coming off the bench against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Jeffery missed the Southern game with an injury and is listed as day-to-day.

• Nebraska is 4-0 on its new home court at Pinnacle Bank Arena. All four of NU's home crowds so far this season rank among the top-10 non-conference home crowds in school history, including a school-record 9,750 on opening day against UCLA (Nov. 8).

• Nebraska announced its Saturday, Dec. 14 tip time with Creighton as 11 a.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The game had previously been listed as “TBA” on published schedules. The Husker men’s basketball team plays Arkansas State at Pinnacle Bank Arena at 3 p.m., while the Nebraska volleyball program will host the NCAA Lincoln Regional Final that evening at 8 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

• Nebraska has sold nearly 3,200 all-session tickets for the NCAA Lincoln Regional (March 29 & 31) in the first week of sales to the general public.

• Nebraska will recognize 2013 All-American Lindsey Moore during the Oral Roberts game (Dec. 29) for her part in helping the Minnesota Lynx to the 2013 WNBA title. The first-round pick in the WNBA Draft will return to Lincoln from her professional team in Italy.

• Nebraska will retire 2010 All-American Kelsey Griffin’s jersey at the Michigan game (Jan. 29). The 2010 Senior CLASS Award winner and Nebraska Female Student-Athlete of the Year will have her number raised at Pinnacle Bank Arena, but not permanently retired. Current Husker Emily Cady shares Griffin’s No. 23. Griffin, a four-year WNBA veteran, will make a return trip to Lincoln from her club team in Australia.

• The Huskers have advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 twice in the last four seasons (2010, 2013).

• Coach Connie Yori is the winningest coach in Husker history (220 victories) and has won conference coach-of-the-year honors in the Big Ten (2013), Big 12 (2012) and Missouri Valley (2002). She was the national coach-of-the-year in 2010.

Scouting the UMass-Lowell River Hawks Coach Sarah Behn brings UMass-Lowell to Lincoln while the program makes its transition to NCAA Division I. The River Hawks have been a traditional power in NCAA Division II, including an 18-9 overall record and a 15-7 Northeast-10 Conference mark in 2012-13.

With the move up to Division I, UML as experienced a true overhaul of its roster, with 13 players lost from last season’s 17-player roster.

The River Hawk roster is filled from top to bottom with nine freshmen while a pair of junior transfers add to a group of 11 newcomers.

Junior Shannon Samuels and Jasmine McRoy have provided immediate production for the young River Hawks. Samuels, a 5-5 guard from Roxbury Community College in Roxbury Crossing, Mass., is averaging a team-best 14.8 points per game while starting all four games heading into the week.

McRoy, a 5-9 guard out of Monroe College and Gaithersburg, Md., has added 11.3 points and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds per game. The duo have been frequent visitors to the free throw line early, combining for 47 of UML’s 87 attempts.

A trio of returning sophomores fill out the probable starting five for the River Hawks. Melissa Frase, a 5-7 guard, gives UML three players averaging double figures with 10.3 points per game. Jennifer Gonsalves, a 5-4 guard, has managed just 0.5 points and 1.5 rebounds, while 6-2 forward Lindsey Doucette has contributed 7.0 points and 6.8 rebounds among the River Hawks’ guard-driven attack.

In fact, Doucette is the only post player averaging better than three points per game. Senior Lauren Fiola, a 5-11 forward, has managed 2.3 points and 5.3 boards per game while making three starts. The only other players listed as forwards on the UMass-Lowell roster are freshmen Lauren Parra (0.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg), Kenya Stewart (1.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and Ashley Snyder (1.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg).

Without a dominant presence inside, the River Hawks have relied on the outside shot - a lot. UMass-Lowell is attempting 35.5 three-pointers per contest (142 total) through four games. Almost one half of the River Hawks’ total shots (288). However, UML is hitting just 23.9 percent of its shots from long range and just 32.6 percent overall.

The River Hawks have produced 69.8 points per game, in part by cranking up their possessions. Through four games, UML had attempted 12 more shots (288-276) than Nebraska through five games. UMass-Lowell is attempting 72 field goals per game while the Huskers are attempting just 55.2. Despite attempting nearly 17 fewer shots, Nebraska is averaging six more points per game.

Defensively, UML has been victimized by their lack of size. Opponents are averaging 92.0 points per game and shooting 45.1 percent from the field. The opposition also owns a plus-12.5 rebounding margin.

Nebraska’s game with UMass-Lowell marks the third game in a nine-game road trip that lasts from Nov. 23 until Jan. 7 for the River Hawks.

Nebraska vs. UMass-Lowell Series History Wednesday’s game between Nebraska and UMass-Lowell will mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The River Hawks are in their first season as a transitional NCAA Division I program.

Former Husker Jelena Spiric (2005-07) played for UMass-Lowell in her first season of collegiate basketball in 2002-03 - Coach Connie Yori’s first season at Nebraska. Spiric started 30 games, averaging 8.9 points per game, to help UML to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Spiric played at Colby CC in 2003-04.

Huskers Storm Past Southern, 87-64 Jordan Hooper scored 23 points and Emily Cady added her second double-double of the season with 18 points and 14 rebounds to propel No. 11 Nebraska to an 87-64 win over Southern at Pinnacle Bank Arena Sunday. Rachel Theriot added 13 points and eight assists, while Tear’a Laudermill solidified the Husker starting backcourt with 12 points and four rebounds. Cady, Theriot and Laudermill went a combined 13-for-19 from the field, while hitting 16-of-19 free throws.

The Huskers dominated, forcing 31 fouls on the Jaguars and shooting 44 free throws. NU outscored SU, 29-8, at the line. The Huskers also hit a season-high 54.2 percent (26-48) of their their shots from the field, including 6-of-18 three-pointers.

NU’s hot shooting allowed the Huskers to overcome a 30-point performance by Southern guard Kendra Coleman, who hit 7-of-12 three-pointers on the afternoon.

Huskers Have History of Home-Opening Success Nebraska owns a history of season-opening success on the Huskers’ homecourt. Nebraska improved to 38-2 all-time in home openers, including 1-0 at Pinnacle Bank Arena, with its 77-49 victory over UCLA on Nov. 8, 2013. The Huskers were 35-2 all-time in season openers at the Devaney Center.

From 1981-82 through 2004-05, Nebraska reeled off 24 straight home-opening wins before losing to South Dakota State on Nov. 19, 2005. NU’s only other home-opening loss came to Kansas (88-56) on Nov. 21, 1980.

Nebraska has been strong in its first six home games every season. In fact, NU is 204-33 over the past 40 years in its first six home contests (.861 winning percentage), including 34-6 in the second game of the season. The Huskers stretched their Game No. 2 winning streak to 14 games with a 62-48 win over Alabama on Nov. 11, 2013.

Game No. 3 has traditionally provided the toughest test among the first six home contests for the Huskers, but NU has won seven straight in Game No. 3 after a 78-55 run past Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Lincoln on Nov. 21, 2013. NU improved to 34-6 all-time in game No. 4 with an 87-64 win over Southern on Nov. 24, 2013. The Big Red suffered a rare Game No. 5 setback in a 90-71 loss to No. 11 Maryland on Nov. 28, 2012 to slip to 34-5 all-time in Game No. 5. NU produced its 16th straight victory in Game No. 6 with a 60-51 win over Idaho State Dec. 1, 2012.

Nebraska Celebrates Season One at New Arena Nebraska celebrates its first season in Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2013-14. The arena, located in the historic Haymarket in downtown Lincoln just steps away from the Nebraska campus, will serve as the new home for Husker men’s and women’s basketball teams.

The $179 million project was completed in the summer of 2013 after being approved by voters in May of 2010. A ribbon cutting ceremony that included Governor Dave Heineman, Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler, UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman, Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst and Husker coaches Connie Yori and Tim Miles, tipped off the opening of the new arena in late August.

The 470,400-square foot arena project has sparked a revitalization of the Haymarket District, including the addition of several new hotels and upscale housing options. It also has added the Railyard, an outdoor entertainment area adjacent to the arena. The Railyard includes “The Cube” a massive outdoor screen that will serve as a hub for other entertainment options.

In “Season One” at Pinnacle Bank Arena, the Husker women’s basketball program has experienced more than a 50 percent increase in season ticket sales, surpassing the 3,200 mark. The number shattered NU’s previous season ticket record.

The women’s program was also selected as one of four NCAA Regional hosts for the 2014 NCAA Tournament. The Huskers will play host to the NCAA Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds at Pinnacle Bank Arena, March 29-31. Nebraska has advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in two of the past four seasons, but Lincoln has not played host to an NCAA Tournament game in men’s or women’s basketball since 1993.

On the men’s side, the Huskers have sold out for the season, guaranteeing a school-record average of more than 15,000 per game in their first year at the arena.

Nebraska Joins Top 10 in AP Poll Nebraska moved up one spot to No. 10 in the third regular-season Associated Press Poll released on Monday, Nov. 25. The Huskers opened the season at No. 17 in the preseason AP Poll on Nov. 4, before climbing two spots to No. 15 in the first regular-season ranking on Nov. 11. NU jumped four spots to No. 11 in the Nov. 18 rankings, before joining the top 10 thanks to UCLA’s win over previous No. 10 Oklahoma on Nov. 24. The Bruins, who opened the season with a 77-49 loss to the Huskers in Lincoln, knocked off the Sooners, 82-76, in Los Angeles.

NU’s No. 10 ranking is its first AP top-10 ranking since the final regular-season poll of the 2009-10 campaign.

In the USA Today/Coaches Top 25, the Huskers were ranked No. 10 in the first (Nov. 12) and second (Nov. 19) regular-season polls after opening at No. 12 in the preseason USA Today rankings.

Hooper Named Candidate for Senior CLASS Award Nebraska’s Jordan Hooper has been selected as one of 30 candidates nationally for the Senior CLASS Award for women’s basketball.

The Senior CLASS Award announced its list of candidates on Wednesday, Oct. 30. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must display notable achievements in community, classroom, character and competition. The acronym for “Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School,” the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

Hooper, a 6-2 senior forward from Alliance, Neb., is a two-time honorable-mention All-American and a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection. She has also been a nominee for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. In the community, she has volunteered her time at Belmont Elementary School, Saint Elizabeth’s Regional Medical Center and participated on Nebraska’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, among her many activities.

On the court, Hooper has led the Huskers to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the 2013 NCAA Sweet 16. She has started 103 consecutive games and serves as a team captain. She could challenge Nebraska career records for points, rebounds and three-pointers made.

Hooper is one of only two women’s basketball student-athletes in the Big Ten Conference to earn a spot on the elite list of 30 Senior CLASS Award candidates, joining Penn State’s Maggie Lucas.

The list of 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 by a national media committee for the 2014 Senior CLASS Award in November. The 10 finalists will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award.

Hooper Named to Wade, Wooden, Naismith Lists Again Two-time All-American Jordan Hooper has been named a preseason national player-of-the-year candidate for the Wade and Naismith trophies and the Wooden Award again in 2013-14.

Hooper, a 6-2 senior forward from Alliance, Neb., is a two-time WBCA and Associated Press honorable-mention All-American and a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection. She is poised to become just the third player in Nebraska history to score 2,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds in her career, joining 1993 Wade Trophy winner Karen Jennings and 2010 first-team WBCA All-American Kelsey Griffin.

Hooper, who has scored 1,779 points and pulled down 861 rebounds in starting the first 103 games of her Husker career, is also in position to shatter the school’s three-point record. She enters the UMass-Lowell game with 227 made three-pointers, just 40 shy of the school record held by three-time first-team All-Big 12 guard Kiera Hardy (2004-07). Hooper has averaged nearly 72 three-pointers per season at Nebraska, including 81 a year ago when she helped shoot the Huskers to the 2013 NCAA Sweet 16.

Over the summer, Hooper helped the USA Basketball Women’s World University Games Team to a gold medal in Kazan, Russia. In the championship, Hooper earned a start and scored nine points while grabbing nine rebounds while going head-to-head against several members of Russia’s 2012 Olympic Team.

Hooper was one of three players from the Big Ten to earn mention on the preseason lists for both the Wade Trophy and Wooden Award, joining Penn State’s Maggie Lucas and Minnesota’s Rachel Banham.

Husker Front Line Solid for 72 Straight Games Nebraska’s starting forwards of Jordan Hooper (103), Emily Cady (72) and Hailie Sample (72) have joined each other in the Huskers’ starting five for 72 consecutive games.

The inside trio has been joined in the Husker starting lineup for each of the last 33 games by Rachel Theriot. Brandi Jeffery started the first three games of 2013-14 with the quartet, after starting the first six games of 2012-13 with Hooper, Cady and Sample before being replaced in the starting five by Theriot. Tear’a Laudermill has stepped in the lineup for Jeffery the past two games.

Consistent starting lineups are nothing new for the Huskers under Coach Connie Yori. In 2011-12, fifth-year senior guard Kaitlyn Burke joined Moore, Hooper, Cady and Sample in NU’s starting lineup for every game. Three times in Yori’s first 11 seasons at Nebraska, the Huskers have used the same starting five for every game in a season, including all 33 games in 2011-12. The 2006-07 Huskers featured the same starting five for 32 games on their way to a 22-10 season and the NCAA Tournament. Yori’s 2003-04 Huskers also used the same starting five for 30 games on their way to an 18-12 season and a WNIT bid.

A full year with the same starting five is rare in women’s college basketball. In fact, Nebraska was the only Big Ten team to feature the same starting five throughout 2011-12, and was one of only three teams in the 2012 NCAA Tournament to start the same five every game. Kansas State and BYU were the others.

Over the past nine seasons, Nebraska has used only 22 different starting lineups in 264 games.

Big Red Playing Big on Boards Nebraska produced a plus-12.2 rebounding margin over its first five games of 2013-14, outrebounding the opposition by an average of 43.0-30.8 on its way to a 5-0 start. Jordan Hooper has led the barrage on the boards by averaging 10.0 rebounds, including a 13-rebound effort against Alabama, 12 boards at Utah, and 11 rebounds against UCLA. Emily Cady (9.4 rpg) has added a pair of double-digit rebound games of her own with 14 boards against Southern and 11 rebounds against Alabama.

Nebraska’s returning front line of Hooper, Cady and Hailie Sample have combined to average 25.6 rebounds per game, while sophomore point guard Rachel Theriot has added 3.8 boards per contest. The combined total of the four Husker starters (29.4 rpg) nearly matches the output of the NU opponents (30.8 rpg).

Free Throws Pay Off Big For Big Red Nebraska has outscored its first four opponents by an average of 18.8-7.0 (+11.8 ppg) at the free throw line through five games. The Huskers have attempted 128 free throws compared to 58 attempts by their opponents. The Huskers are shooting 73.4 percent at the line as a team.

@RachTheRiot Wreaking Havoc on Opposing Defenses Rachel Theriot has produced a great start to her first season as Nebraska’s starting point guard. The 6-0 sophomore is averaging 14.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game while hitting 54.2 percent of her shots from the field, 42.9 percent of her three-pointers and 100 percent of her free throws. Last season, All-American Lindsey Moore averaged 15.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.2 steals per game.

Theriot erupted for a career-high 28 points, while matching her career best with seven rebounds in NU’s 75-69 win at Utah on Nov. 15. She added four assists while going a career-best 8-for-8 at the free throw line. She scored 19 points and had five rebounds in the second half alone, while going 6-for-6 at the line in the game’s final 35 seconds to seal the victory.

Theriot pumped in 17 points and dished out five assists in a win over Alabama, after distributing a career-high nine assists in the season-opening victory over UCLA. She produced her third double-digit scoring effort with 13 points and eight assists in a win over Southern Nov. 24.

As a starter at shooting guard as a freshman, the Middleburg Heights, Ohio, native averaged 6.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game and earned Big Ten All-Freshman honors.

5-0 Starts Nothing New for Nebraska Nebraska has started the season 5-0 for the fifth time in the last six years in 2013-14. The Huskers are 4-0 at the new Pinnacle Bank Arena, and NU’s win at Utah on Nov. 15, gave Nebraska a win in its road opener in five of the last six seasons.

A win over UMass-Lowell would give the Huskers a 6-0 start for the fourth time in the past five years dating back to the 2009-10 season. Last season, the Huskers went 5-1 in their first six games with a Game 4 loss at South Dakota State.

Prior to 2009-10, Nebraska had not started 6-0 since 1996-97. The only other times the Huskers had accomplished the feat was in 1992-93, 1987-88 and 1982-83.

Huskers Traditionally Tough on Road Nebraska has become one of the toughest visiting teams in the country over the past two years, producing a 19-7 record in true road games. All seven of those losses have come against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament in their respective seasons.

In fact, over the last two years, NU is 24-11 away from home with all 11 setbacks coming against NCAA Tournament-qualifying foes.

Huskers Sign Top Recruiting Class in School History A five-player signing class and a talented walk-on who received other NCAA Division I scholarship offers have given Nebraska the best recruiting class in school history - coming in at No. 9 in ESPN’s class rankings on Nov. 21.

Each of Nebraska’s scholarship recruits ranked among the top 25 nationally by ESPN at their position. Tennessee Class 2-AA Player of the Year Jasmine Cincore, Kansas Class 4A Player of the Year Kaylee Page, California prep stars Natalie Romeo and Darrien Washington, and Washington High School standout Chandler Smith will join Coach Connie Yori’s Huskers. Emily Wood, a walk-on from Salina, Kan., completed the six-player NU freshman class for 2014-15.

Smith, a 6-0 guard from Washington, signed her letter of intent Monday, Nov. 18, after being ranked as the No. 62 player in the nation by ESPN. Her addition propelled the Huskers up seven spots in ESPN’s class rankings for 2014. Page and Romeo headline the Husker class. The 6-2 Page was ranked No. 42 nationally by ESPN, while Romeo was No. 55. Romeo, a 5-7 point guard from the Bay Area, has been ranked as high as the No. 27 player overall nationally by Full Court Press.

Romeo’s club teammate, the 6-2 Washington, was ranked as the No. 16 post player in the nation by ESPN, while Cincore was ranked as ESPN’s No. 24 point guard in the 2014 class, despite being projected as a combo guard for the Huskers.

“We are excited about the potential of this recruiting class, and we hope all six players have outstanding senior seasons in high school this year,” Yori said. “We have built quite a bit of momentum in recruiting the past few years and this class is part of it.”

Nebraska’s previous top recruiting class, which came with current Husker juniors Emily Cady, Hailie Sample, Tear’a Laudermill and Brandi Jeffery, was ranked No. 24 nationally in November of 2010.

Nebraska’s six newcomers will be expected to replace the loss of Jordan Hooper, a two-time All-American who is the only senior on the Huskers’ 11-player roster in 2013-14.

Page, a 6-2 senior at Wamego High School in Kansas, was ranked as the No. 13 wing/shooting guard nationally by ESPN. She averaged 20.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.3 blocked shots, 3.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game as a junior. A gifted shooter, Page knocked down 57 three-pointers for the Red Raiders in 2012-13. She helped Wamego to the Kansas Class 4A state championship while playing for her father, Jim Page, who was the Kansas Coach of the Year.

Romeo, ESPN’s No. 12 point guard nationally as a four-year starter at Carondelet High School in California, averaged 21.4 points, 6.7 assists and 6.3 steals per game as a junior to help the Cougars to the North Coast Section Division II title for the third consecutive season. Along the way, she earned East Bay Athletic League MVP and Nor Cal Prep Player-of-the-Year honors in 2012-13, helping Carondelet to a top 20 national ranking as a team. Romeo has been a starter for one of the premier club programs in the nation, the Cal Stars Elite, since she was an eighth grader. As a member of the Cal Stars program, Romeo has earned all-tournament or MVP honors at 16 national tournaments.

Smith’s signing brought even more talent to the Husker 2014 class. Smith plays point guard for her high school and club teams, but was ranked as the No. 18 wing in the country by ESPN. The 6-0 guard from Brewster High School in Washington, averaged 21.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 4.2 steals as a junior to lead the Bears to a Class 1A state championship. She had 26 points and 10 rebounds in the 2013 state title game, after producing 35 points and 12 boards in the 2012 Class 2B championship game.

Cincore brings more athleticism and strength to the perimeter for the Huskers. The 5-8 guard will add a gritty defensive presence along with an expanding offensive game to the NU backcourt. As a junior at Briarcrest Christian in 2012-13, Cincore averaged 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals per game while leading her team to the state semifinals.

Washington adds size and potential to the Nebraska inside game. The 6-2 Washington plays at Skyline High School in the Bay Area and on the Cal Stars Elite. She is relatively new to basketball, but brings excellent athleticism to the court.

Wood, a 5-5 guard from Salina Central High School, turned down scholarship offers from Harvard and Dartmouth and Western Illinois to walk-on at Nebraska. She is a two-time Kansas Class 5A all-state selection and averaged 11.2 points and 2.3 assists per game as a junior. She has hit 132 career three-pointers as a three-year starter at Salina Central.

Huskers Preseason Pick to Win Big Ten Nebraska was voted the preseason pick to win the Big Ten regular-season title by both conference coaches and media in 2014. The picks were announced as part of Big Ten Media Day in Chicago, Oct. 31.

The Big Ten coaches and select media panel chose the Huskers to finish on top of the final conference standings, while defending champion Penn State was picked No. 2. Michigan State was No. 3 in a selection process where voters only chose their top three teams. The Big Ten does not do a full preseason ranking of all 12 teams in women’s basketball.

Husker senior Jordan Hooper was a unanimous choice of Big Ten coaches to the preseason All-Big Ten team. The 6-2 forward from Alliance, Neb., also earned a spot on the five-player media team. Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year Maggie Lucas from Penn State was a unanimous choice to both all-conference teams, while Minnesota’s Rachel Banham added a unanimous selection from the league media.

Huskers Claim Highest Preseason Rank in School History Nebraska opened its 2013-14 campaign with its highest preseason ranking in school history, as the Huskers started the year No. 12 in the USA Today Coaches Top 25, announced Tuesday, Oct. 29.

Nebraska’s preseason ranking by the coaches surpassed its No. 19 ranking by USA Today before the start of the 2012-13 season. The Huskers finished 2012-13 at No. 18 in the coaches poll after advancing to their second NCAA Sweet 16 in the past four years. Nebraska went 25-9 overall and 12-4 in the Big Ten.

Huskers to Honor All-American Griffin with Jersey Retirement The Nebraska women’s basketball program is adding another name and number to its wall of honor inside the new Pinnacle Bank Arena - and this one is a legend.

Kelsey Griffin, one of the most accomplished Huskers both on and off the court in program history, will be honored by Nebraska with the retirement of her No. 23 jersey on Wednesday, Jan. 29, when the Huskers take on Michigan. She will join 1993 Wade Trophy Winner and CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Famer Karen Jennings (No. 51) and 1988 Big Eight Player-of-the-Year Maurtice Ivy (No. 30) among Nebraska’s retired jersey honorees.

Griffin, a first-team All-American on the court and a national player-of-the-year finalist in 2010, became the face of Nebraska women’s basketball for five seasons (2006-10). The lightly recruited 6-2 forward from Eagle River, Alaska, powered Nebraska’s rise to national prominence by earning three first-team All-Big 12 Conference awards.

Griffin also led Nebraska to a trio of NCAA Tournament appearances in 2007, 2008 and 2010. Her final season as a Husker, she etched a permanent place in Husker history as part of a six-player senior class that led Nebraska to an unbeaten regular season (29-0), 30 consecutive victories, a Big 12 Conference regular-season title and Nebraska’s first-ever trip to the NCAA Sweet 16. She captured Big 12 Player-of-the-Year honors while leading NU to a 32-2 final record that included a 16-0 Big 12 mark.

She ranks No. 3 on Nebraska’s all-time scoring list with 2,033 points, while ranking No. 2 in the Husker record book with 1,019 career rebounds. She joins 1993 Wade Trophy winner and fellow first-team All-American Karen Jennings as the only players in Nebraska history with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Griffin also set Nebraska’s career record with 40 double-doubles in her four years on the court in Lincoln. Her 127 career starts rank No. 2 in school history.

As a senior, Griffin averaged 20.1 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, including 20 double-doubles. She also earned a spot on the Big 12 All-Defensive Team by notching 60 steals, 26 blocked shots and took a remarkable 29 charges on the year.

Griffin was NU’s first-ever winner of the Senior CLASS Award, recognizing her achievements in the community and the classroom, while honoring her character and success in competition. She was honored as Nebraska’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year in 2009-10, before earning the No. 3 overall pick in the 2010 WNBA Draft.

Griffin earned a spot on the WNBA All-Rookie Team with the Connecticut Sun in 2010. She completed her fourth professional season with the Sun in 2013, starting all 34 games and averaging career bests of 8.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. In her four-year WNBA career, she has played in 133 games with 61 starts for Connecticut. Griffin also has played professionally in Hungary, Israel and most recently for the Bendigo Spirit in Australia’s WNBL. In 2012-13, Griffin led the Spirit to the WNBL title and was named the MVP of the championship series. She has returned to Australia for the 2013-14 campaign, where she plays alongside former Husker teammate and 2012 Olympian Chelsea Aubry.

NCAA Lincoln Regional All-Session Tickets Selling Strong The University of Nebraska was awarded one of four regional host sites for the 2014 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, announced by the NCAA on Wednesday, Oct. 9. The Huskers will host the four-team regional at Pinnacle Bank Arena in downtown Lincoln, March 29 and 31.

All-session tickets went on sale to the general public on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 8 a.m., and sales have been strong, reaching nearly 3,200 less than one week since public sale began.

All-session reserved seats are $40, while all-session general admission seating is available for just $25 over three games. The GA seats include lower level seats behind each basket (sections 101 and 112), along with 200 and 300 Level seats. Student tickets are available for just $15 ($5 per game if purchased in advance, all-session).

“It’s an exciting time to be a part of the Nebraska women’s basketball program, and the NCAA Regional announcement just keeps that building,” Coach Connie Yori said. “We’ve got a long way to go as a team before we can even think about the possibility of getting back to the Sweet 16 this year, but it is certainly a great opportunity for men’s and women’s basketball fans to have a chance to watch college basketball being played at a really high level at the end of March in Lincoln.”

The last time the University of Nebraska served as a host for the an NCAA men’s or women’s basketball tournament came on March 17, 1993, when the Husker women defeated San Diego, 81-58, in the first round at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. It is the only game the Nebraska women’s basketball team has ever played on its home court in the NCAA Tournament.

The NCAA Women’s Final Four will be held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., April 6-8.

Moore Helps Minnesota Lynx to WNBA Title as Rookie Lindsey Moore celebrated a WNBA title to cap her first season with the Minnesota Lynx in Atlanta on Oct. 10. The former Husker point guard who was a first-round pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft, jumped for joy on the court at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga., with her Lynx teammates as time expired. Moore spent the last three seconds of the game on the court after Minnesota battled its way to an 86-77 win to complete a three-game WNBA Finals sweep of the Atlanta Dream.

The Lynx cruised to a pair of 25-point wins in the first two games of the series in Minneapolis, crushing the Dream 84-59 in the opener before adding an 88-63 win in Game 2.

Minnesota capped a perfect 7-0 playoff record in 2013. Lindsey Moore played in six of Minnesota’s seven playoff games in support of the league’s most dominant and balanced starting five. As a rookie, Moore appeared in 23 regular-season games, averaging 1.0 point and 1.0 assist playing behind U.S. Olympian and WNBA All-Star Lindsay Whalen.

Hooper Powers Team USA to Gold at World University Games Nebraska’s Jordan Hooper scored nine points and grabbed nine rebounds while making her first international start, powering the USA Basketball Women’s World University Games Team to a 90-71 victory in the gold medal game on July 15.

Hooper, a 6-2 senior forward from Alliance, Neb., erupted in her first USA start, pouring in five points, including the game’s first three-pointer, to go along with three early rebounds to fuel the U.S. team’s 13-3 lead to open the game. She also played a major role defensively in helping the United States to its third straight World University Games gold medal.

Hooper scored seven first-quarter points to help the USA take a 22-13 lead at the end of the quarter. She played the entire first period and finished with 31 minutes in the game. In the tournament, Hooper finished with 6.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game, giving her per 40-minute averages of 16.6 points and 14.9 boards.

Hooper started the second quarter on the bench, and while she was out, the Russian team quickly trimmed the USA margin to 25-21 with 7:46 left in the first half.

Hooper immediately returned to the court and helped shut out the Russians for the next three minutes to ignite a 7-0 USA run. Hooper’s offensive rebound and assist to Crystal Bradford (Central Michigan) in the corner for a three-pointer, gave the USA a 38-25 lead with 2:43 left in the half. It was the first of back-to-back threes by Bradford in a 45-second stretch to send the U.S. squad to halftime with a 41-27 lead. With Hooper keying the defense, the USA allowed six points in the final seven-plus minutes of the half.

Nebraska’s two-time All-American played every minute of the third quarter. She again keyed a U.S. defense that helped the team build a 68-47 lead at the end of three quarters.

Hooper’s final bucket came with 7:30 left in the game, giving the USA a 75-55 lead.

Looking Back at Nebraska’s 2013 Sweet 16 Season No. 24/18 Nebraska women’s basketball team capped one of the best seasons in school history by making its second NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in the past four years in 2013.

Although the sixth-seeded Huskers fell to the second-seeded Duke Blue Devils, 53-45, in the Norfolk (Va.) Regional semifinal game, Nebraska celebrated the second-most victories in school history. NU finished the season with a 25-9 overall record that included a 12-4 Big Ten regular-season mark. Nebraska’s Big Ten runner-up finish also marked the second-most conference wins in school history.

All nine of Nebraska’s regular-season losses came at the hands of 2013 postseason teams, including seven setbacks to teams that advanced to at least the second round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Along with advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16, the Huskers closed the 2013 campaign at No. 24 in the final Associated Press Poll (regular season) and No. 18 in the final USA Today/Coaches Top (post-NCAA Tournament). It marked the third time in the past four years the Huskers have finished in the top 25 in both polls. NU climbed seven spots in the final USA Today poll, the second-largest jump from the end of the regular season, trailing only NCAA runner-up Louisville’s leap from No. 17 to No. 3.

Senior point guard Lindsey Moore joined junior forward Jordan Hooper as the first teammates in school history to be named to the AP All-America team in the same season. Moore, a Big Ten All-Tournament selection and second-team All-Big Ten choice for the second straight year, earned the first All-America accolades of her career by claiming honorable mention from the AP. Moore was also a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award, presented to the nation’s top point guard, for the second straight year.

Hooper, a two-time first-team All-Big Ten choice, captured honorable-mention All-America accolades from both the AP and the WBCA for the second straight season. Moore and Hooper were both preseason candidates for the Wade, Naismith and Wooden national player-of-the-year awards, becoming the first teammates in history to earn mention on those distinguished lists as well.

2012-13 Nebraska Team Season Highlights • 2013 NCAA Sweet 16 (second appearance in last four years) • 25 wins (second-highest victory total in school history) - 25-9 overall record • 12 Big Ten wins (second-most conference wins in school history) - 12-4 Big Ten record • Big Ten regular-season runner-up finish / Big Ten Tournament semifinalist • No. 16 in final NCAA RPI. Nebraska played the No. 12 Strength of Schedule in the nation. • No. 18 in final USA Today/Coaches Top 25; No. 24 in final AP Poll (regular season) • No. 16 nationally in average home attendance (5,243) • 10 victories over 2013 NCAA Tournament teams (10-8) • Nebraska’s 74-63 win at No. 9 Texas A&M on March 25 marked the Huskers’ first true road NCAA Tournament victory in history and the highest seed (No. 3) NU has ever defeated in the tournament. • 10-game winning streak (Jan. 20-Feb. 28), second-longest winning streak in school history • Nebraska closed season with seven-game winning streak in true road games (active streak) • Big Ten No. 2 RPI Conference in the nation • Big Ten 6-0 in first-round NCAA Tournament games • Coach Connie Yori was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year • Nebraska was one of 25 teams in the 64-team NCAA Tournament field with a perfect 100 percent graduation rate. NU has had a 100 percent grad rate in each of NU’s five tournament appearances under Coach Connie Yori.

Yori Captured Big Ten Coach-of-the-Year Honors Nebraska’s Connie Yori was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year in voting by conference coaches for 2013. Yori captured her second conference coach-of-the-year award in the last four seasons and her first in the Big Ten.

In 2012-13, Yori guided Nebraska to 10 straight conference wins, including a perfect February, as the Huskers finished with a 12-4 Big Ten mark as the regular-season runner-up.

Yori’s young squad overcame a plethora of injuries and a 2-3 Big Ten start to play for a share of the Big Ten title in the regular-season finale against No. 7 Penn State at the Devaney Center. Although Nebraska came up short against the Lady Lions, Yori’s team finished the regular season with a 22-7 overall record that included a Big Ten-best 7-1 road mark in conference play.

Yori captured Big 12 Coach-of-the-Year honors in 2010 on her way to WBCA, AP, USBWA, Naismith and Kay Yow National Coach-of-the-Year awards. She led the Huskers to the 2010 NCAA Sweet Sixteen after capturing the Big 12 regular-season title with a perfect 16-0 record. The 2009-10 Huskers, which featured first-team All-American Kelsey Griffin and first-team All-Big 12 picks Cory Montgomery and Yvonne Turner, finished with a 32-2 overall record.

Before becoming Nebraska’s head coach in 2002-03, Yori claimed Missouri Valley Conference Coach-of-the-Year honors in her final season at Creighton in 2002. In Yori’s first 11 seasons as NU’s coach, her Huskers have earned a total of 32 all-conference awards (10 first team, 2 second team, 11 honorable mention, 5 freshmen, 4 defensive).

Yori’s 2012-13 Huskers Notched Another 20-Win Campaign Coach Connie Yori is in the midst of leading the Huskers to the most successful era in school history. The 2012-13 Huskers earned their second NCAA Sweet 16 selection in the past four years, while rolling to 25 wins - the second-highest victory total in school history. It was Nebraska’s fifth 20-win season in the past seven years.

Prior to Yori leading her 2006-07 Huskers to 22 wins, Nebraska had only managed five 20-win seasons in the previous 26 years. NU has managed 14 20-win seasons in 38 full seasons of women’s basketball as a varsity sport.

Over the past seven seasons, Nebraska has averaged 21.7 wins, including the three highest victory totals in school history - 32 wins in 2009-10, 25 in 2012-13 and 24 wins in 2011-12. Over the past four years, NU has averaged 23.5 wins per year.

Prior to Yori’s arrival in 2002-03, Nebraska’s record for most wins in a season was 23 (1978-79, 1979-80, 1992-93, 1997-98).

Hooper Produces Another 600-Point, 300-Rebound Season Jordan Hooper became the first Husker in history to produce a pair of 600-point, 300-rebound seasons when she ended her junior campaign with 607 points and 300 rebounds. In 2011-12, the 6-2 forward from Alliance, Neb., amassed 624 points and 306 boards to become the first sophomore in NU history to every accomplish the feat. She is one of only four Huskers to ever produce those milestones in a season.

Hooper, an honorable-mention All-American and a first-team All-Big Ten pick, set the Nebraska sophomore single-season scoring record with 624 points. She eclipsed the 609 points scored by Kiera Hardy in 2004-05. Hooper’s 306 rebounds marked the third-highest total in school history by a sophomore, trailing only 372 by Janet Smith in 40 games in 1979-80) and 314 by Carol Garey in 36 games in 1978-79. Hooper’s 9.3 rebounds per game matched Smith’s sophomore record. Only one other sophomore in NU history - Kathy Hagerstrom (1980-81) scored 500 points and grabbed 250 boards.

Hooper’s sophomore production was on a similar level to the two most productive seasons in school history. Karen Jennings, the 1993 Wade Trophy winner and a first-team All-American, produced 810 points and 319 rebounds in 32 games as a junior in 1991-92. Kelsey Griffin, a finalist for every national player-of-the-year award in 2010 and a first-team All-American, produced 685 points and 354 rebounds in 34 games as a senior.

Hooper Closing in on Elite 1,800-Point, 900-Rebound Club Jordan Hooper is quickly closing in on a truly elite combination in Nebraska women’s basketball. The 6-2 senior from Alliance, Neb., needs just 21 points and 39 rebounds to become the third player in Husker history to reach the 1,800-point and 900-rebound levels. Only first-team All-Americans Karen Jennings (1990-93) and Kelsey Griffin (2006-10) have achieved both of those marks, and by the end of this season both will have their Husker jerseys retired.

Hooper enters Wednesday’s game with UMass-Lowell with 1,779 points and 861 rebounds. Last season, she became the first junior in school history to reach the 1,600-point, 800-rebound milestones.

Hooper is poised to become just the fourth player in Nebraska history to reach 900 career rebounds.

Hooper Closing in on Husker Career Three-Point Record Senior Jordan Hooper owns 227 career three-pointers, just 40 shy of the Husker career record set by Kiera Hardy (267, 2004-07). Hooper became the first Husker junior to reach 200 career threes in 2012-13. Hardy ended her junior campaign in 2005-06 with 196.

Hooper, who hit 67 three-pointers in each of her first two seasons as a Husker, knocked down 81 in 2012-13, to match Hardy’s 2005-06 total for the most by a junior in school history. Hooper ranked fifth in the Big Ten with 2.4 threes per game in 2012-13.

Hooper Puts Up Double-Doubles at Record Rate Jordan Hooper ranks third all-time at Nebraska with 28 career double-doubles, following her 13-point, 12-rebound performance at Utah on Nov. 15. It was her second double-double this season, joining a 27-point, 11-rebound effort in NU’s season-opening win over UCLA on Nov. 8.

Hooper, who also posted an NCAA Tournament first-round double-double against Chattanooga, has notched double-doubles in three of her last eight games.

Hooper, who produced three double-doubles in Big Ten play in 2013, has produced some monstrous doubles in her career. Last season in a win at 2013 NCAA second-round participant South Florida, Hooper poured in 24 points and had 14 rebounds. The previous game against 2013 NCAA second-round participant Florida State, Hooper erupted for 36 points and 12 boards in a win on Dec. 8, 2012.

She recorded her 20th career double-doubles with 29 points and 10 boards against Idaho State on Dec. 1, 2012.

In the 2012 Big Ten Tournament, Hooper produced three double-doubles in four games, including 25 points and 10 boards against No. 21 Purdue and 21 points and 10 rebounds against No. 14 Ohio State. Earlier in the 2011-12 season, Hooper had 19 points and a career-high 18 rebounds in a win at Wisconsin on Feb. 19, 2012. She added 22 points and 15 rebounds against Iowa on Jan. 26, 2012.

Hooper led the Big Ten and ranked among the top 25 players nationally with 14 double-doubles in 2011-12. Hooper, who produced double figures in 32 of Nebraska’s 33 games, recorded 14 double-figure rebounding performances as a sophomore. Hooper’s 14 double-doubles ranked as the third-highest single-season total in school history, trailing only first-team All-American Kelsey Griffin’s 20 in 2009-10, and Nafeesah Brown’s 16 in 1993-94. Griffin and Brown were both seniors when they produced their impressive double-figure totals.

Hooper recorded double-doubles in a personal-best four straight games from Dec. 18, 2011, to Jan. 5, 2012.

Nebraska’s History of Success at Home Nebraska opened the Pinnacle Bank Arena era with a 77-49 win over UCLA (Nov. 8) before adding a 62-48 victory over Alabama (Nov. 11). The Huskers notched a 78-55 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 21) and an 87-64 win over Southern (Nov. 24) to improve to 4-0 in the new building while moving to 392-130 (.751) all-time at home. The Huskers have gone 128-34 (.790) over the last 11 seasons at home, posting double-figure home victory totals in each of the last 10 seasons. NU went a perfect 16-0 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in 2009-10.

Nebraska played in the Devaney Center from 1976-77 through 2012-13, posting a 388-130 record, including 146-88 (.624) mark in conference play. NU went 13-4 at home in 2012-13.

Big Ten Network Provides Major Exposure for Huskers For the third consecutive season, Nebraska expects to have every regular-season and postseason game available in national television/video form for Husker fans to follow all the action.

In 2013-14, at least seven regular-season Nebraska women’s basketball games will be televised live nationally by the Big Ten Network, including each of NU’s first five Big Ten Conference contests. An eighth regular-season game (Illinois, Feb. 27) could be picked up by BTN, and Nebraska’s early round games in the Big Ten Conference Tournament also will be televised by BTN.

If the Huskers can advance to the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis, that game will be televised by ESPN. It would give Nebraska three appearances on the ESPN family of networks in just over two weeks, following a Feb. 24 clash with Penn State and NU’s regular-season finale at Purdue on March 2. Both those games will be televised live nationally by ESPN2. Nebraska’s Big Ten/ACC Challenge game at North Carolina on Dec. 4 will be streamed live world-wide by ESPN3.

Nebraska’s first nationally televised game of the season will come at Utah on Nov. 15, when the Huskers appear on the Pac-12 Network. NU also will make two appearances on Nebraska Educational Television (NET) in 2013-14. The first game in the history of Pinnacle Bank Arena will appear on NET when the Huskers battle the UCLA Bruins on Nov. 8. Nebraska will be back on NET again against Michigan on Jan. 29.

Both of Nebraska’s NET games will be streamed live to the Big Ten Digital Network (BTDN aka BTN.com All-Access). Throughout the season, BTDN will provide video streams to at least 16 games for BTN.com All-Access subscribers.

Nebraska’s inaugural exhibition game at Pinnacle Bank Arena against Pittsburg State on Oct. 29 was streamed live for free on Huskers.com. NU’s Nov. 30 game with Washington State also is expected to be streamed live on Huskers.com.

For the first time in school history in 2011-12, all 33 games played by the Huskers were delivered by national television or live video streams to Husker fans. In 2012-13, Nebraska enjoyed its highest level of national TV exposure in school history, while adding two outstanding alternative video streaming sources. NU’s game with Duke was the 34th game of 2012-13 available world-wide to fans and the 16th nationally televised game. It was NU’s fourth game on ESPN2. The Huskers had 10 nationally televised games on the Big Ten Network, one on CBS and one on the Pac-12 Network.

The Big Ten Network distributed 10 other Nebraska women’s basketball games through live video streams on BTN.com, including two that were televised live in the state of Nebraska by NET. HuskersNside, the live video area on Huskers.com, took care of the rest of NU’s games in 2012-13.

Huskers Put Up Top 10 3FG Numbers Again in 2012-13 Nebraska hit 214 three-pointers in 34 games to rank as the fourth-most threes in school history in 2012-13. The Huskers finished just 16 shy of the school-record 230 three-pointers they hit in 2011-12.

It was the 10th consecutive year that Connie Yori’s Nebraska teams produced a top-10 total in three-pointers made. The Huskers’ 6.3 threes per game led the Big Ten and ranked 58th nationally.

The Huskers hit seven or more threes in a game 17 times in 34 contests in 2012-13, after hitting seven or more threes 17 times in 33 games in 2011-12. Nebraska hit double-digit threes five times in 2012-13, including a season-high 12 in the Big Ten-opening win over Wisconsin on Jan. 2, and 11 threes against Oral Roberts and Northern Arizona. NU added 10 threes at Iowa Feb. 11 and at Michigan Feb. 21.

The 2011-12 Huskers produced a record-setting three-point season, connecting on 230 threes on a record 759 attempts. Nebraska led the Big Ten with 7.0 made threes per game, matching the school-record the Huskers set in 2010-11. Nebraska’s 230 threes surpassed the 225 the 2009-10 Huskers hit. NU’s 759 attempts shattered the previous school recored of 661 also set in 2009-10.

NU hit a 2011-12 season-best 14 three-pointers on 26 attempts against Mississippi Valley State, which marked the second-highest total in school history. It trailed only the 17 threes the Huskers hit against Vermont (17-33) to open the 2010-11 season.

Prior to 2009-10, the school-record for three-pointers made in a season was 173. Before Yori’s arrival, no Husker team had hit more than 132 threes in a season, or attempted more than 437.

Husker Sports Network, Huskers.com Carries NU World-Wide The Husker Sports Network enters its 20th season of producing and marketing the live broadcasts of Nebraska women’s basketball in 2013-14. Women’s basketball play-by-play announcer Matt Coatney and color commentator Jeff Griesch are in their 13th season together as the Huskers’ broadcast team.

The Husker Sports Network and Nebraska women’s basketball have teamed up for well over a decade to take every game, home and away, around the world for free on Huskers.com.

In addition to carrying every women’s basketball game free on Huskers.com, the Husker Sports Network flagship stations B107.3 FM-KBBK (Lincoln) and The Wolf 93.3 FM-KFFF (Omaha) provide strong FM signals for Husker women’s basketball and volleyball. 880-AM-KRVN (Lexington) also provides a huge AM signal statewide in central Nebraska, while more than 20 stations have joined the Husker Sports Network’s women’s basketball coverage across the state.

Fastbreakers Offer Travel Opportunities to Follow Huskers The Fastbreakers Nebraska Women’s Basketball Booster Club is offering a pair of opportunities to follow the Huskers on the road this season.

The first trip being organized is for Nebraska’s Feb. 1 showdown with Iowa in Iowa City. The second trip will join the Huskers at the 2014 Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis, March 6-9. For complete information on the travel opportunities, visit the Nebraska women’s basketball home page on Huskers.com and click on “Fastbreakers Travel” in the right side menu options.

Fans can also e-mail Gary Schuster at gary@totalteamtravel.com.

Fastbreakers Prepare for More Fun with Pregame Parties The Fastbreakers Women’s Basketball Booster Club has set the dates for four Pregame Parties in Lincoln for the 2013-14 season.

With the new development in the Haymarket District, the Fastbreakers invite fans to take a tour of some of the new restaurants in the area at these fun new events. Each Pregame Party will begin two hours prior to the tip-off for select games, and wrap up 30 minutes before the game begins to allow fans to get to their seats in time for the game.

Pregame Parties will feature great food and drink specials at each location, lots of door prizes, and a different Husker spirit item provided for each fan in attendance. There is no cost to attend (food and drink will be available for purchase), and no RSVP is required. At the season’s end, fans will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite location, where next year’s events will be held.

The first Pregame Party was held on Thursday, Nov. 21 at the Courtyard Marriott Bistro, just two blocks from Pinnacle Bank Arena. The party began at 5 p.m., prior to the game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which tipped off at 7 p.m.

Future Pregame Parties will be held on Sunday, Dec. 8 (game vs. Utah State); Thursday, Jan. 16 (game vs. Minnesota) and Saturday, Feb. 8 (game vs. Michigan State). Locations will be announced on Huskers.com, Twitter, Facebook and at Husker Women’s Basketball games. Questions can be directed to the Huskers Athletic Fund at (402) 472-2367 or 800-8-BIG RED, or at athleticfund@huskers.com.

Nearly 15,000 Attend Huskers in Opening Weekend Nebraska attracted almost 15,000 fans to Pinnacle Bank Arena in its season-opening weekend, including a non-conference school-record crowd of 9,750 for a season-opening win over UCLA on Nov. 8. The Huskers added a crowd of 4,924 for a Veterans Day win over Alabama on Nov. 11.

The 14,674 fans over two games nearly matched the 15,221 fans who attended Nebraska’s eight home non-conference games in Coach Connie Yori’s first season in 2002-03.

Growing interest in Nebraska women’s basketball is not new. In fact, nine of the 17 largest non-conference home crowds in school history have come over the last 13 home games for the Big Red, including four crowds this season that rank among the top 10.

Game One Features Nebraska Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rally Game One presented by Ameritas at Pinnacle Bank Arena featured more than just a top-25 showdown between the Nebraska and UCLA women’s basketball teams on Nov. 8.

The special day-long celebration of the regular-season openers for both the Nebraska men’s and women’s basketball teams at their new downtown arena tipped off with an energy-filled pep rally featuring an all-star cast of speakers and entertainers.

The Nebraska Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rally on the morning of Nov. 8 on the new homecourt of the Huskers reached more than 4,500 middle-school youth from nearly 50 schools across Nebraska.

Students from Centennial to Crete, Norris to North Bend Central, Seward to Sandy Creek and Wahoo to Wilber-Clatonia joined students from several private schools in Lincoln for a morning of motivational messages and exciting basketball action.

The sportsmanship pep rally, which was organized with assistance from the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame, included messages from nationally recognized speakers. Nebraska’s men’s basketball coach Tim Miles, baseball coach Darin Erstad, two-time NCAA and Olympic wrestling champion Jordan Burroughs, along with NCAA discus champion Chad Wright all delivered inspirational messages. Amanda Burau from Nebraska’s national champion women’s bowling team, Mattie Fowler from the Huskers’ Women’s College World Series softball team and Shavon Shields from the men’s basketball team added impressive messages, along with former women’s basketball player Meghin Williams. Acrodunk, a nationally acclaimed high-flying dunk team, added a spectacular performance.

The Huskers’ tip time was moved to noon to accommodate the students’ attendance at the pep rally and their return to their home schools.